emotion Papers

Video game technology now enables a new set of experiences for players in addition to conventional video games. Although the intensity of the technological research in this field is shifting from graphics to AI design and characters with embodied agents [1], there have been few studies involving the assessment of real-time sequential, emotional changes of video-game players. Research of this issue and the implications may assist in preventing game addiction and decreasing one's zest for... Read more

We present recent extensions for the intelligent virtual agent development platform Pogamut 3. These extensions are: the agent coordination language StorySpeak designed for the purposes of storytelling applications, support for gestures based on BML, the visual editor of reactive plans, connection of the cognitive architecture ACT-R, an educational application aimed at orientation in urban areas and finally an emotional model. Read more

For simulating communicative behavior, realistic appearance and plausible behavior is important. Postures and mimics also reflect emotional behavior. There exist various models of emotion, like the psycho-evolutionary theory developed by Plutchik [1], or Ekman's FACS. But most models are only suited for muscular expressions. A more unattended field however, also in graphics, is the change in color. Also, other physiological symptoms like crying are left unconsidered. Read more

Although there is progress in modeling and implementing affective phenomena - computation of emotion - the new direction proposed here is to model and represent irrational and subconscious processes, the hidden aspects of the human psyche as analysed by Freud and his successors, and by other disciplines in psychotherapy. The outcome will be a 'psychodynamics engine' that does not simply respond emotionally to context and interaction, but is driven by its own convoluted patterns, triggers and... Read more

Researchers of systems for Digital Entertainment have resorted to Artificial Intelligence to create characters that are more adaptable to new situations, less predictable, with fast learning capabilities, memory of past situations and a variety of convincing and consistent behaviors. Recent studies in cognitive psychology and neuroscience analyze the fundamental role of personality and emotions in human cognition, based on the notions of perception, attention, planning, reasoning, learning, memory and decision making. These notions can be characterized... Read more

How do we construct credible personalities? The current SAL (Sensitive Artificial Listeners) characters were constructed intuitively and can be unconvincing. In addressing these issues, this paper considers a theory of personality and associated emotional traits, and discusses how behaviours associated with personality types in people may be adapted to develop characteristics of virtual agents. Our objective is to ensure that behavioural perceptions of a virtual agent credibly reflect the agent's 'actual' personality as prescribed. Read more

This study investigated whether emotional expressions of an ECA influence the participants´ nonverbal and verbal behavior. 70 participants took part in a small talk (10 min.) situation with the ECA MAX who was presented with two different types of feedback: emotional feedback (EMO), which provided a feedback about the emotional state of MAX (including smiles and compliments) and envelope feedback (ENV), which provided a feedback about the comprehension of the participants´ contributions. In general we... Read more

Evolving beyond their origins as a novel pastime, videogames have developed into a medium with tremendous power to entertain and engage players through emotionally powerful interaction. These emotional connections are often powered by the quality of the digital actors that inhabit game worlds and bring them to life. But as technologies for creating lifelike characters escalate, so do the challenges of the creation process. This discussion examines methods used by cutting-edge games to create deeply... Read more

DEIRA is a virtual agent commenting on virtual horse races in real time. DEIRA analyses the state of the race, acts emotionally and comments about the situation in a believable and engaging way, using synthesized speech and facial expressions. In this paper we discuss the challenges, explain the computational models for the cognitive, emotional and communicative behavior, and account on implementation and feedback from users. Read more

The aim of the paper is to document and share an induction technique (The Sensitive Artificial Listener) that generates data that can be both tractable and reasonably naturalistic. The technique focuses on conversation between a human and an agent that either is orappears to be a machine. It is designed to capture a broad spectrum of emotional states, expressed in ‘emotionally coloured discourse’ of the type likely to be displayed in everyday conversation. The technique... Read more